Napheesa Collier Sends Message After Teammate's Season-Ending Injury
The Minnesota Lynx are facing the Golden State Valkyries at Target Center on Saturday. A dominant 15-2 on the WNBA season, Minnesota is coming off a convincing win against the Washington Mystics.
One contributor to Minnesota’s strong season has been veteran guard Karlie Samuelson. The 30-year-old has appeared in 16 games (four starts), averaging 14.2 minutes per contest.
On Saturday, the Lynx announced Samuelson would undergo season-ending surgery after suffering a left foot injury in a game against the Connecticut Sun on June 29.
“The Minnesota Lynx today announced the following injury update on guard Karlie Samuelson who sustained a left foot injury playing against the Connecticut Sun on June 29,” the team announced.
tonight's @MayoClinic status report vs Valkyries:
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) July 5, 2025
Karlie Samuelson - OUT (Foot) pic.twitter.com/3I0ep44bgs
Minnesota added, “An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) was taken at Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine in Minneapolis, where Samuelson also met with Mayo Clinic foot and ankle specialist, Dr. Norman Turner III, to further evaluate and discuss treatment options. Samuelson will undergo surgery and subsequently miss the remainder of the 2025 season. Further updates on her progress will be provided when available."
In response to this news, Samuelson made a heartfelt post on Instagram.
“I don’t even know what to say besides this really sucks 💔 I loved playing with this team,” she wrote. “I know I’ll come back from this. Just hard to process not being on the court with these girls. But I’m grateful to be here. This a special team.”
Lynx star Napheesa Collier was among those who dropped a comment for Samuelson. The four-time All-Star had a simple message for her teammate.
"We love you Kar ❤️❤️," she wrote.
Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.